Night and Day
by saphira54325
Summary: Clan life is normal. Warriors fight and hunt, apprentices train, kits play and elders complain. But can four cats uncover what lies underneath this perfect disguise? And even more, can these cats be no more than kits?
1. Chapter 1

Just so you know, this is able to change at any time. When I add a new character, I will put a star in parenthesis, like this. (*) That means there will be a note on the bottom telling you what rank they are if it isn't clear in the story. Also, if someone gets promoted or killed in the story, i won't update this. It would make it confusing for new readers.

Ranks

Duskclan

Leader- Birdstar- a black and gray tom with fluffed fur that makes him look like he has feathers

Deputy- Grayspot- a light brown tom that had one gray patch on his stomach

Medicine Cat- Leafriver- a pretty dappled she-cat that has hazel eyes that look up to the stars

Medicine Cat Apprentice- TBD

Warriors- Fallowbreeze- An easygoing tan she-cat, mother to Petalkit, Leafkit, and Firekit

Sunspring- A sharp-tempered ginger tom, only gentle with Fallowbreeze and his kits.

Lightblaze- A light tan tom with blazing amber eyes, ferocious in battle, but gentle in camp

Frostfeather- A white grumpy she-cat, with blue eyes. She has a broken leg that never healed right, so she walks funny, but she can fight as well as any other warrior

Goldfire- A black she-cat with golden eyes and a white paw.

Cloudthorn- a white and gray tabby tom, smart and loyal but hardly speaks

Stonedust- a dark blue she-cat with black patches

Apprentices- Clearpaw- A brown tabby tom with clear blue eyes, Petalkit's crush

Brightpaw- An excitable she-cat with a tortoiseshell coat and light eyes. She can get excited by the smallest things

Queens-  
Kits- Petalkit- A small white and ginger kit, smaller than her siblings, and looks somewhat like her father.

Leafkit- A pretty tan and brown dappled she-cat, she looks more like her mother with her fur and she acts like her too.

Firekit- A ginger tom, he is Sunspring in mini. Both in attitude and looks.

Flowerkit- Flowerkit is the spitting image of her deceased mother, Moonflower. She and her sister are both very excitable.

Silverkit: Silverkit looks more like her father Snowflake, who was a kittypet who Moonflower had a very short relationship with. Snowflake went back to his Twolegs as soon as he heard he had kits, and he hasn't been seen outside their den again.

Elders-

Dead- Moonflower (queen) Moonflower was a gray and white patched she-cat who always put her clanmates lives first. She was killed in a skirmish between Duskclan and Dawnclan.

Dawnclan

Leader- Daystar- a beautiful tortoiseshell tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Deputy- Sharpstripe- a ginger and white tom with a scar across his back from a fight when he was an apprentice

Medicine Cat- Skytail- a white tabby she-cat with clear blue eyes  
Medicine Cat Apprentice- Redpaw- a ginger tom cat with a short temper

Warriors- Reedbreeze- light brown and red tom, fastest swimmer in the clan

Honeydrop- a gray and brown she-cat, mate to Reedbreeze, sister to Heatherfall and soft and kind as honey -mentor to Blazepaw

Heatherfall- a brown she-cat with heather colored eyes, sister of Honeydrop -mentor to Lightpaw

Mosswind- a white and gray tom with dirty moss-colored eyes

Cloudedfoot- a white tom with a fiery temper- mentor to Ashpaw

Oakspring- Dead, father to Ashpaw, Blazepaw, and Lightpaw. He was a dark brown tom with tan and gray spots. He died only a few days after their mother, riddled so much with grief he ate deathberries to go to her, leaving his three kits alone.

Golddapple- Dead, mother to Ashpaw, Blazepaw, and Lightpaw. She was a tan and ginger she-cat. She died in a battle soon after her kits grew old enough to eat fresh-kill, and her mate died a few days after from the grief.

Apprentices- Blazepaw- a ginger and tan tom that was born in a forest fire, brother to Lightpaw. He tends to do or say the wrong things at the wrong time that annoy his sister Lightpaw.

Lightpaw- tan and gray she-cat, she's calm on the outside, yet loud and argumentative when she was riled up, and she was born in the first stage of the fire

Ashpaw- dark gray tom, born in the calm aftereffects of the fire. He's always able to calm fights between his siblings, and his mind always thinks through things calmly, so he doesn't make irrational decisions.

Queens-

Kits-

Elders-

Nightclan

Leader- Sagestar- a black she-cat with mint colored eyes and white paws, sister to Mintflower

Deputy- Mudmask- a dark gray tom with brown spots around his eyes and nose

Medicine Cat- Moonberry

Medicine Cat Apprentice- Darkpaw

Warriors- Mintflower- A black she cat, looks a lot like Sagestar, because they are sisters.

Wolfleap- a light black/dark gray tom, likes to tease anyone who is younger than him, especially if that cat is from another clan.

Riversong- a dark brown she-cat with dark blue eyes which look a lot like the river.

Apprentices-

Flamepaw- A flaming red she-cat with glowing amber eyes that sparkle in the darkness of the Nightclan camp. She's very excitable and always friendly to clanmates, yet brutal to enemies.

Icepaw- Icepaw is the complete opposite of her sister. He's very cold and calculating, not caring about his clanmates that may be in trouble in battle, instead fighting on his own behalf. Shiningkit is the only one who has started to see through his icy exterior.

Queens-

Kits- Shiningkit - Shiningkit is the lone kit of her age, so she makes friends with the pair of cats that are apprentices. She's very smart and observant, and she picks up on things quickly.

Elders-

Sunclan

Leader- Lichenstar- a gray and brown tom with lichen-colored eyes and gray paws

Deputy- Emberstorm- a ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat- Marshwillow- a tan colored she-cat that has become blind over the years

Medicine Cat Apprentice-

Warriors- Snowshade-a snow white she-cat with a darker white underbelly, mother of Sunkit

Fawnpelt- a dark brown she-cat with light spots and a short temper. She was born a kittypet, but she ran away from the Twoleg home when she was 6 moons old, and Emberstorm took her in and taught her the warrior code. Nobody ever teases her about her past, because she's so much like a regular warrior.

Streamfeather- a gray she-cat who is exceptional at swimming, mother to Skykit and Shadowkit

Hazelnight- a dark gray and black tom with a passion for following the warrior code, father to Skykit and Shadowkit.

Mistflood- a gray tom with blue spots, thinks he's the father of Sunkit. Luckily, Sunkit looks like her mother and her mother's father, otherwise her cover would be blown.

Thistlefall- a gray and brown tom that was the best hunter in all the clan.

Apprentices-

Queens-

Kits- Skykit- a white and gray she-cat with sky blue eyes, sister to Shadowkit

Shadowkit- a dark blue and black tom with a short temper, even as a kit, brother to Skykit

Sunkit- a sun colored she-cat with amber eyes, she has a mixed past, but she doesn't know that. She's the only cat that Shadowkit doesn't get mad at. The only kit, daughter to Snowshade and a rogue named Bubble. Her mother is the only person who knows that Sunkit isn't clanborn. Snowshade's childhood friend and mate Mistflood thinks Sunkit is his kit.

Elders-


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Duskclan

"Petalkit!" Fallowbreeze called sternly to her kit. "Stop bothering the elders and come over here!" Petalkit came bounding from the elder's den and fell down in a snow drift near her mother. "Petalkit, can you stay in the nursery for more than three minutes? I need to keep an eye on Moonflower's kits." Petalkit rolled over in the snow. "Fallowbreeze, can you stop worrying about me? I'm five moons old, and I'm almost an apprentice. Leafkit and Firekit don't want to leave the nursery, but I can't wait to move into the apprentice's den with Clearpaw and Brightpaw!" Fallowbreeze shook her head. "How Firekit and Leafkit are related to you, I don't know." Petalkit nodded her head. "Yeah, I wonder that too." Petalkit had a faraway look in her eyes. "Come on, Petalkit. Moonflower's kits will be waking up soon, and I want to make sure they're comfortable. Please stay there for the rest of the day. Petalkit didn't resist at all when Fallowbreeze flicked her tail towards the nursery opening.

"Petalkit? Petalkit, wake up!"

Firekit and Leafkit stood over Petalkit, calling her name louder and louder. Petalkit suddenly jumped up and tackled Leafkit, the noise causing Moonflowers kit, Flowerkit and Silverkit to wake up. They set up a terrible mewing. Fallowbreeze and Sunspring were drawn to the nursery door. The three kits stumbled outside, pushed by Sunspring. "Go ahead, kits. Go get a few pieces of freshkill for us and the other kits." They blinked in surprise, then the competition started. "I bet I can get that big squirrel over there!"Firekit mewed. "No, I'm going to bring that to Fallowbreeze. You can bring that sparrow!" They argued back and forth, and as they fought, Petalkit snuck towards the pile and grabbed both the squirrel, the sparrow, and two mice. Petalkit ran back to the nursery with the freshkill. Sunspring took it without a word and dropped it on the floor. The two kits grabbed a mouse and started tearing it apart. Sunspring and Fallowbreeze laid down side by side and watched the kits while sharing the sparrow. Leafkit and Firekit had come back in from the snow-covered camp and grabbed the squirrel to share. Petalkit sat down on her bed of moss, not eating at all, though Fallowbreeze was giving her quizzical looks. Petalkit wasn't hungry. She was too busy thinking about her upcoming apprenticeship. It would be coming any day now, and she wasn't so sure anymore if she was ready. Firekit and Leafkit had their special talents. Leafkit was the best runner in all the clan, and Firekit could stalk anything and catch it, even the sharp-eared tom Frostfeather's tail. Petalkit couldn't do anything special. She was normal, could stalk a leaf, could bolt to the freshkill pile, and could fight off her brother and sister. But she couldn't do it better than them. She closed her eyes, thinking of the warriors that she would like to have as a mentor. Goldfire would be nice, she thought, or maybe Lightblaze. But what she would like is to have Grayspot as her mentor. He was kind and gentle to all the kits, but Petalkit he seemed to treat specially. But she wouldn't get Grayspot as her mentor, she knew. The other kits had more of a chance to get the deputy than she did.

A moon later, Birdstar called Fallowbreeze in for a meeting. Firekit could barely contain his excitement. "Think about it, Petalkit! We're finally becoming apprentices! I wonder who my mentor will be. I want to have Goldfire, what about you,?" he said excitedly. Petalkit didn't respond. She knew she wanted Grayspot, but she also knew Leafkit wanted Grayspot worse than she did. Without an answer, he turned to Leafkit. "What about you, Leafkit? Who do you want as a mentor?" Leafkit told him that Grayspot would be her mentor. "I don't want him, I will have him. I have to, he's the only cat gentle enough to not get mad at me in 5 seconds. Besides Sunspring of course, but I can't have my own father as a mentor." Fallowbreeze walked into the nursery, and Petalkit's siblings attacked her with questions. "Are we becoming apprentices? Who will be our mentors? Please tell us, Fallowbreeze!" Fallowbreeze shook her head. "Yes, you're becoming apprentices, but I don't know who your mentors are." She looked at her jumping kits, then saw Petalkit was missing from the group. Fallowbreeze padded over to her kit. "What's wrong, Petalkit? Don't you want to be an apprentice?" she asked with her soft voice. Petalkit looked at her mother's hazel eyes and debated telling her the truth. She shook her head, looking down. Fallowbreeze was her mother, but Petalkit only really trusted one person not to say anything, and he wasn't in her den. She decided to talk to the leader for help. He wasn't her first choice, but he would understand.

"Petalkit, what do you mean, you can't become an apprentice?" Birdstar asked her. Petalkit looked at the smooth ground of the leader's den. She was regretting her choice to talk to the leader just a little bit. Birdstar gazed at the small kit before her. Petalkit was smaller than Firekit, but Leafkit was leaner than her. She didn't seem to look like a apprentice should. Suddenly, the medicine cat Leafriver came over to talk to Birdstar. "Birdstar, I need- Oh, Petalkit! What are you doing here?" she asked in questioning tone that Petalkit couldn't answer to. It was kind, but Petalkit was too shy. She asked Birdstar with her eyes to cover for her. Birdstar told Leafriver, "Petalkit is having a few doubts about her apprenticeship. Petalkit nodded at Leafriver, her eyes still on the floor. "Petalkit, you will be a great apprentice, then a great warrior. I remember being nervous about becoming an apprentice. You know, I wasn't medicine cat apprentice right away. I was a regular apprentice. But Applebranch, the medicine cat at the time, asked me to be her apprentice. I had to think about it, but I accepted." Petalkit looked a bit startled at this. "Does this mean that I have to be the medicine cat apprentice?" she asked, looking a bit terrified at the idea. Leafriver managed a smile. "No, I am just alerting you that you have more options than just a regular apprentice. You'll do fine as a warrior though, I can tell by the way you play-fight with your siblings. You can dodge even the toughest of blows, some warriors can't even do that. You have warrior skill, use it. Any other cat would think you've already been trained." Petalkit jumped up in excitement. She never thought about it like that before. "Thank you, Leafriver," she said, and walked out of the den. She heard Leafriver's voice calling after her. "Remember, even if you're not my apprentice, that doesn't mean you can't talk to me." Petalkit nodded, and scampered back to the nursery where Fallowbreeze was washing a very squirmy Firekit. "Fallowbreeze! I can wash myself! Stop!" Fallowbreeze continued, and Firekit became subdued. Leafkit sat in a corner, gently patting a mossball back and forth for Flowerkit and Silverkit to chase. Her fur was slicked down enough for Petalkit to see Fallowbreeze already got her, but it was furry and normal, clean but normal for a kit. Petalkit looked down at her fur. She was white and ginger, and her mom named her Petalkit because of an elder named Flowerpetal who died when she was born, and her fur was like hers. Petalkit started licking herself, because her mom was almost done with Firekit. "Stand still, and it will go faster, Firekit," she said suddenly. Firekit stood completely still, and she finished before sunhigh. Fallowbreeze ushered her three kits out of the nursery, and Sunspring took them to the clearing. Fallowbreeze returned to take care of Moonflower's kits. "Now, remember, you have to talk only when the leader addresses to you. Stand proud. You're becoming future warriors of Duskclan." Petalkit nodded. Sunspring gently licks her behind the ear. Then they hear Birdstar call the clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highrock for a clan meeting. As the clan assembled, Petalkit felt her heart start hammering. Petalpaw. She savored her soon-to-be new name. Petalpaw. She would be the best apprentice there was. She would train everyday, as hard as she could. She would help her clan win every battle ever fought. Birdstar called the three kits up to the Highrock.

"Firekit, Leafkit, and Petalkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Firepaw, Leafpaw, and Petalpaw. Firepaw, your mentor will be Cloudthorn. Cloudthorn, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Stonedust, and you have shown yourself to be smart and loyal. You will be the mentor of Firepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Firepaw. Leafpaw, your mentor will be Goldfire. Goldfire, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Grayspot, and you have shown yourself to be strong and brave. You will be the mentor of Leafpaw, and I expect you to pass down all you know." Birdstar turned to Petalpaw. Her heart almost stopped. Petalpaw felt an overwhelming feeling to become the medicine cat apprentice, to help out Leafriver in the medicine cat den. But she kept her mouth shut, and Birdstar continued. "Petalpaw, your mentor will be Grayspot. Grayspot, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You have received exceptional training from Flowerpetal, and you have shown yourself to be a worthy fighter and deputy. You will be the mentor of Petalpaw, and I expect you to pass down all you know." Grayspot leaned his head down, and Petalpaw touched her quivering nose to his calm one. "I'll be the best apprentice you ever had," she said, barely noticeable with any ears. But Grayspot seemed to give a small nod, only felt by his apprentice. Petalpaw closed her eyes, and listen to the clan as they chorused the new apprentice's names. "Firepaw! Leafpaw! Petalpaw!" Petalpaw, Petalpaw, Petalpaw. Her name echoed in her thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

"Welcome to the den," Clearpaw said. Petalpaw looked at his soft face, full of sympathy for the younger cats. Brightpaw spoke up from the corner, "Come on in, but don't sleep near me. I tend to thrash around," she said playfully. Clearpaw nodded his head. "When we heard you had become apprentices, we gathered moss the entire day. Make your bed the way you want," Clearpaw told them, gesturing to the pile of moss in the corner. Petalpaw and her brother and sister gathered all they needed, and made their beds. "That's a lot of moss, we didn't need that much," Firepaw commented. Brightpaw shrugged. "We knew you wouldn't use it all, but we figured Leafriver could always use a bit more moss. And it will save you time when the elder's need their bedding changed," Leafpaw looked startled. Clearpaw let out a small 'mrow' of amusement. "Don't worry, your mentors won't make you do that on the first day. You'll most likely view the territory, then go over some hunting. The elders are left for a later task," "So that means when Flowerkit and Silverkit become apprentices, we'll be telling them the exact same thing that you're telling us now?" Petalpaw meowed, purring in amusement. Clearpaw purred back. "I think so, Petalpaw," Clearpaw settled down in his bed, and closed his bright eyes. One by one, all of the apprentices closed their eyes, until Petalpaw was the only one awake. She couldn't shake the feeling that she shouldn't be sleeping in here. "Nonsense," she thought, and she too closed her eyes.

"Windsong, don't worry. This apprentice will chose her path. We can't make her become medicine cat if she doesn't want to," Petalpaw opened her eyes, thinking she was hearing someone talk to a clanmate. But she wasn't in the field surrounded by rocks known as the clan camp, she was at Fourtrees. Petalpaw stood up sleepily and saw two cats in the middle of the trees. Her ears perked up and she crouched down, ready to spring, but something held her back. They had stars infused in their fur, and didn't seem like regular cats. "Starclan cats," she said. The cats didn't seem to hear her. One of the cats was silver, without the stars in her fur. This was the one that was called Windsong, and she had a worried expression on her face. The other cat was a deep black, but had a kind expression, one that Leafriver almost always wore. Her fur was dark even with it glowing. The smell of bitter herbs and sweet honey told Petalpaw they were both medicine silver cat spoke. "Echowhisper, we decided to give her special powers, not her sister. She can't waste this talent!" The black cat shook her head. "Windsong, would it really be that bad to have a warrior with a connection to Starclan? Would it? Yes, medicine cats use it more, but we've given warriors these connections before," Windsong looked angry, but she couldn't think of an answer. "Don't worry, Windsong," Echowhisper told her quietly, "our little flower will chose her own path. Either way, Starclan will walk beside her every step," Echowhisper and Windsong smile, sharing a secret Petalpaw didn't understand.

"Petalpaw? Petalpaw," called a voice from the distance of the dream. Petalpaw opened her eyes for real. Clearpaw was gently waking her with his paw. Petalpaw blinked and looked outside the den. "Is it even sunup yet?" she asked drowsily. Clearpaw shook his head. "Almost. Come on, I'm going on a patrol, and Grayspot wants you to come with to see the territory," Petalpaw bolted upright. "How much time do I have?" she asked quickly. Clearpaw jumped back and smiled."Calm down, you have plenty of time. And Grayspot will wait for you. He's leading the patrol," Clearpaw started washing himself with quick strong licks. Petalpaw quickly followed. The den was filled with the sound of small tongues and snoring cats. During which the sun came up and warmed the camp. Clearpaw told Petalpaw softly that it was time to go. She padded out, listening to the softer fall of Clearpaw's footsteps. Because Clearpaw was two moons older than Petalpaw and her siblings, he had been an apprentice for two moons. He was almost as big as a warrior now, and just as good a fighter.

"And here we are, this is the border," Grayspot told her. Petalpaw stared down at the riverbank, her eyes and face sprayed by the mist coming off the river. Petalpaw stared at the river, the small misty waves laping at her paws. She smelled the fish that would make up Dawnclan's fresh kill pile a good bit of the time, and she felt jealous. She wished that both Duskclan and Dawnclan could share the river and the fresh-kill it provided, but they had fought over it, and Dawnclan had won fairly. Meaning that Duskclan could not use the river for hunting, so while Duskclan hunted out every piece of fresh-kill in the forest, Dawnclan would feast every night on delicate fish. Petalpaw turned to see the patrol leaving slowly without her. She bounded to them to catch up, and accidentally almost ran into Clearpaw. "Woah, careful," Clearpaw said. Petalpaw stared at him in amazement. She had almost ran right into his side, yet all he said was, "Careful," How could Clearpaw be so patient with her? She trusted him, and she liked him, but she didn't know if he would chose her. Suddenly Petalpaw's dream popped into her mind. Clearpaw would listen to her, and she wanted to tell him, even if he didn't believe her. "Clearpaw?" Petalpaw slowly asked. Clearpaw looked back at her with his piercing blue eyes. "What is it, Petalpaw?" he asked in a quiet tone as well, taking a hint from Petalpaw. "I had this dream last night, before I woke up," Clearpaw dropped back from the patrol a bit to talk with more privacy. "What kind of dream?" he asked, no doubt thinking it was some kind of nightmare that he had had before. Petalpaw took a shaky breath, then told him everything. "Clearpaw, I dreamt I was at Fourtrees, but it wasn't Fourtrees exactly. It was clearer, shinier. Then I saw these two cats in the clearing. They had stars in their fur. And they were talking about someone in Duskclan who was torn between their love and their call to medicine cat with their connection with Starclan," Clearpaw looked stricken for a second, then asked more questions. "What did the two cats look like? What were their names?" Petalpaw tried to recall in her mind the dream. "There was a white cat named Windsong, and a midnight black cat named Echowhisper. They were both she-cats, and by the smell of herbs I think they were both past medicine cats," Clearpaw looked at her with a strange look. "I'm not medicine cat, but I think they were talking about Flowerkit. Nobody else in the clan is named Flower," Petalpaw nodded. "I think I'll ask Leafriver, just to be sure," Clearpaw told her that it was a good idea, then they sprint to catch up with the patrol. "Grayspot, Stonedust?" Petalpaw called into the leaves. "This way, Petalpaw," Clearpaw calls. Petalpaw breaks through the leaves to come face to face with a different cat. The cat was dark blue, like Stonedust, but wore a menacing expression. This new cat purred in mock amusement. They look up at Grayspot and Stonedust. "Training kits now, are you?" These words stung Petalpaw hard. She jumped back and bared her little teeth. "I'm an apprentice," she snarled. The cat just laughed. Grayspot called her back. She looked back at him, and asked the cat, "Who are you?" she asked before turning around. "Come here, Petalpaw." Grayspot said forcefully. She obliged. Grayspot turned back to the other cat. "Listen Wolfleap, don't tease my apprentice. Or Sagestar will have something to be embarrassed about at the next Gathering," Wolfleap laughed, then froze as another brown cat came out of the bushes. "Wolfleap, there you are. Please don't leave my patrol again, or I will report you to Sagestar," Wolfleap lowered his head, and the new cat looked at the patrol across the border. He quickly spots Petalpaw with her white and ginger fur. Petalpaw put her tail down, and her eyes followed. "New apprentice, Grayspot? Your warrior den must be getting pretty full," the cat joked, with a light tone that Petalpaw decided to trust. Grayspot laughed back. "Yes, Mudmask, you're right. I'm planning on retiring soon enough," Mudmask looked concerned but happy at this news."Well, your clan has flourished under your help. Very nice. And what's is your apprentice's name?" Mudmask asked. It was aimed at Grayspot, but Petalpaw answered first. "I'm Petalpaw," she told him. Mudmask nodded. "I can see why. How long have you been an apprentice?" Mudmask asked. But Petalpaw looked over Mudmask's shoulder and saw Wolfleap smiling cruely at her, knowing that she was new and didn't know anything. Petalpaw got extremely angry and crouched down low, like she would pounce on him. A low growl escaped her throat. She bunched her back and leg muscles, ready to spring at the Nightclan warrior. Mudmask looked at her, then looked at Grayspot, and looked back at Petalpaw. "Grayspot? How much have you taught your apprentice so far?" Grayspot looked stricken, looking at his small apprentice crouched and thrashing her tail, training her eyes on Wolfleap. "Funny, I don't remember teaching her anything, considering she became an apprentice only yesterday," Mudmask stepped back, shocked. "Do something else, Petalpaw. Clearpaw, come here." Stonedust encouraged the apprentices. Petalpaw blinked. She just did what felt right. Clearpaw stood before her, twice her size and could kill her in an instant. But he wouldn't. "Clearpaw, show her a simple bat the ears, Do it to me, and then Petalpaw will do it to you, ok?" Clearpaw looked stricken, but did as he was asked. He raised his paws, stood on his hind legs, and brought his weight down on Grayspot's ears. Petalpaw watched this with amazement as Grayspot stumbled and fell under Clearpaw's weight. He shook his head as he got up. "Now you, Petalpaw. Clearpaw, stand still, let her do this, ok?" Clearpaw nodded. Stonedust nudged Petalpaw. She reared up, bringing her paws up. She brought them together, bracing her paws against each other, becoming one paw coming down on Clearpaw's head. He fell down on the ground, banging his jaw. Mudmask and Stonedust gasped in surprise. Clearpaw jumped up, and he rolled on his side around Petalpaw, and jumped on her backside. Because he was much bigger than her, though, the move meant to bring down larger opponents brought small Petalpaw crashing to the ground. Petalpaw went limp, and Clearpaw thought she was hurt. He backed off a bit. "Petalpaw?" he asked quietly. She didn't respond, and he relaxed his paws. That's when she sprung up, flinging him off her. She did a sort of backflip, landed on all fours, and tackled Clearpaw and pinned him to the ground. Clearpaw looked stunned, no doubt humiliated by being beaten by a brand new apprentice. He smiled, breathing heavily. "So, are you going to finish me off? Because if I was fighting for real, I could've thrown you off and sliced your throat open right now," Petalpaw smiled and let him up. "Grayspot, you're so lucky to have such a wonderful apprentice. Of course, in Nightclan, I got stuck with Wolfleap here. I guess deputies don't always get the best cats, do they?" Grayspot smiled, and Stonedust walked forward and lead the young apprentices back towards the path. "Petalpaw, very nice presentation. How long did you practice your moves watching us as a kit?" Clearpaw asked. Petalpaw shook her head. She didn't know what he was talking about. Sure she had watched the moves, but she had never practiced them. "I don't know. I never actually did that. I just made my own moves, and tried them out on Firepaw and Leafpaw. I never actually did anything you did," Clearpaw looked ashen, thinking about this. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Grayspot asked you to perform all you know for him," Stonedust told her before they walked back into the camp. Firepaw bounded up to her and Clearpaw. "Do you know how lucky you are, Petalpaw? A patrol on the very first day! What would you have done if Dawnclan had attacked? You have no training at all! You would come get warriors for backup, right? Petalpaw nodded before Clearpaw would tell her brother about her fighting. "Well, we did run into a Nightclan warrior on the border," Clearpaw stated. Firepaw's eyes widened. "Did you fight them?" he asked. Clearpaw shook his head. "No, we were both on opposite sides of the border. Our he did tease Petalpaw, and she looked ready to tear his fur of his body. But she didn't, because Mudmask, the Nightclan deputy, came and calmed the warrior down. His name was Wolfleap," he told Firepaw with exaggeration. Stonedust ushered them to the clearing, where Clearpaw departed for hunting, and Petalpaw was left to wait alone for Grayspot to come and start her training. Petalpaw laid down in the shade of a jutting rock from the small cliff on one side of the camp, and watched everyone in the clearing. Tawnysky and Cinderclaw were laying down by the warrior's den sharing a was a brand new queen, and the sight of them did something to Petalpaw. Then Petalpaw's nose caught the sweet smell of honey and borage. Petalpaw looked over to the medicine cats den, where Leafriver was readying a poultice for Fallowbreeze, because she still needed milk for Silverkit and Flowerkit. Flowerkit. Flowerkit. Petalpaw shot straight up, luckily not knocking herself out on the rock. She had to talk to Leafriver about her dream.


	4. Chapter 4

Fallowbreeze departed to the nursery, and Petalpaw had to stop herself from sprinting over to the medicine den. She padded painfully slow into the den that Leafriver had disappeared into. "Leafriver?" Petalpaw asked. Her voice echoed softly to the back of the den. Leaf colored eyes popped up from the back of the cave. "Petalpaw?" Leafriver asked. Petalpaw nodded. "Leafriver, I had a dream last night. And I don't think it was normal for an apprentice to have," Leafriver looked concerned and walked over to her. "What do you mean by dream. Where did you wake up?" Leafriver asked with such intensity that Petalpaw took a step back. Leafriver shrunk back a little, and Petalpaw told her. "I woke up at the edge of Fourtrees, though how I know that I don't know. I've never been there before. But then I heard two cats talking to each other. I stood up, and looked into the clearing at Fourtrees and saw a silver cat, and a black cat. Their names were Windsong and Echowhisper," Leafriver gasped. "Are you sure that those were Windsong and Echowhisper?" she asked. Petalpaw nodded. "Why?" Leafriver silently debated telling her about it, and she did. "Windsong was Echowhisper's mentor, but only for a few days. There was a ferocious battle between Duskclan and Dawnclan only two days after Echowhisper was apprenticed. Everyone was involved in the battle, from elder to kit. Then some cats came and tried to steal herbs necessary for the upcoming leafbare. Windsong would not allow it, so they killed her. Echowhisper was cowering in the back of the den with what she hoped was the right amount of herbs for leafbare and she prayed to Starclan that it would be enough," Petalpaw looked shocked. "So, how did Echowhisper learn anything if her mentor was dead?" Leafriver looked at Petalpaw. "Every Duskclan medicine cat wanted to help her learn, but in the end it was Windsong that would appear in her dreams every night and teach her something she would've learned that day. Echowhisper was Applebranch's mentor, and Applebranch knew as much as Windsong did," Petalpaw thought about these facts, and continued on with her dream. "Well, then, yes, it was Windsong and Echowhisper in my dream. They were talking about a cat in the clan that was torn between their call to medicine cat which they had wanted to happen because they gave that cat powers to talk to Starclan better than a regular medicine cat, and their love that would be forbidden to them if they became a medicine cat. Then they said 'our little flower will chose her own path.' What does that mean, Leafriver?"Petalpaw asked. Leaf river stared silently into the distance for a minute, thinking, then she looked back at Petalpaw. "There are three cats in the clan that Windsong could be talking about. The first that would be obvious is Flowerkit. Though I doubt the fact that Flowerkit has powers to talk to Starclan. She has a sister that wouldn't have powers though, so she would fit the description you told me. The second is Leafpaw, your sister. She has some medicine cat qualities that could be useful, but she would make a great warrior. And she has a sister, you. The third cat that I can think of is..." Leaf river was never able to finish that sentence, because suddenly Goldfire walked quickly in, followed by a limping Leafpaw. "Leafpaw, what happened?" Leafriver asked. Goldfire answered for her. "We were walking around the territory and Leafpaw accidentally stepped into a small foxhole. No foxes, luckily, but she twisted her paw pretty badly," Leafpaw nodded, squeezing her eyes closed because of the pain. "Good thing Clearpaw and Brightpaw collected more moss for me. Come lay down. Get your weight off that paw," Leafriver worked swiftly and calmly. Petalpaw padded over to help Leafpaw get more comfortable. "What a mouse brain I am, right Petalpaw?" Petalpaw smiled out of spite. "Not the smartest thing to do, no. How exactly did it happen?" Leafpaw's face suddenly turned sullen. "We were walking along a path that every patrol uses to get to the borders. That's where the fox hole was. Petalpaw, I don't believe that was there for a while. Some other warrior would've stepped in it if it was. I think that was dug for someone from Duskclan to step in it. But foxes aren't that smart, and I didn't smell any other clan scent. I don't know Petalpaw, but I think it was set for someone else in Duskclan, but I set it off early," Petalpaw stopped dead at the last sentence. Leafriver came out of the back of the den to the cove where Leafpaw and Petalpaw were. "Alright, let me look at your paw," she told Leafpaw. Leafpaw slowly stretched out her leg, wincing in pain. Leaf river placed it down and started wrapping it in cobwebs and a poultice of herbs that smell bitter but made Leafpaw sign in relief. "That feels really good, Leafriver," Leafriver smiled. "To be honest, I don't know all of the ingredients in it. Applebranch set them aside in a sort of trance, like he knew someone would need them but not for a long time. So he put them in this pocket in the cove where there is mist and air, so the leaves will stay fresh. He told me about it, and he told me that you would only need a very small bit for relief," When Leafpaw's paw was all dressed up, Leaf river put some poppy seeds next to her and told her to only take them if the pain became unbearable. "And if it does, please call for me,' Leafpaw nods her head and lays down her head. Leafriver and Petalpaw turn to leave, and as she walks out Petalpaw can't help but think about what her sister had told her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 2

Sunclan

Shouts of "Foxhearts! Mange-pelts!" echoed through the Sunclan camp. Sunkit and Skykit cowered at the back of the nursery, while Shadowkit gathered his courage and peeked out the nursery door. He quickly bounced back to the other kits in a moment, scared by the fighting and screeching cats outside. "Shadowkit, what's happening?" Skykit asked Shadowkit, her voice shaking. Shadowkit cleared his throat, delivering important news. Sunkit rolled her eyes at Shadowkit's puffed up chest. "The whole camp is fighting, even the elders and queens of course. The bramble entrance is ruined. And there is a smaller fight over by the medicine den, between Marshwillow and Moonberry. And Darkpaw darted into the medicine den, but came out with less than he bargained for. He was covered in scratches," Shadowkit finished his report, and sat down. Skykit ventured over to the door and looked at the lithe warrior Fawnpelt standing guard in front of the nursery. Suddenly, she sprang at an incoming apprentice from Nightclan, a brown tom. Fawnpelt pounced and tore his pelt enough to make him retreat into the forest. Then a loud cry rang through the camp. "Nightclan, retreat!" Skykit, Sunkit, and Shadowkit bounded to the door. They saw Darkpaw and Moonberry bolt from the medicine den with a mouthful of catnip and cobwebs each. Two large warriors ran from Lichenstar's den, following the call from their deputy Mudmask, with an angry Emberstorm on their tail.

When all of the Nightclan warriors had dispersed, the adventurous kits ventured out of the nursery. Their mothers Snowshade and Hazelnight were side by side, panting. Sunkit ran towards her mother, who seemed to have really deep wounds. "Snowshade, you should go to Marshwillow to get some cobwebs and burdock root to prevent infection," Snowshade turned quickly to her kit, and told her she was fine. "Half of this blood isn't mine. It's from that horrible deputy's Mudmask's wounds. They might need to change his name to Scarfur now, for all the scars he will have," Even with her mother telling her she was all right, Sunkit padded over to her and confirmed that she was. Then she looked at Skykit's mother Hazelnight. Her dark fur was matted with drying blood, but it wasn't from her. Sunkit sighed in relief. "Sunkit, how do you know they're all right?" Shadowkit asked her. Sunkit turned to him and told him, "I can see that the scratches they do have aren't bleeding anymore, and it doesn't smell much like them. So they should go wash off in the river," she said playfully but with knowledge that made Hazelnight want to go wash off. "Let's go hunting before we retire to the nursery, Snowshade. Let the fathers take care of their kits for once," Hazelnight said, laughing. A shadow crossed Snowshade's face, but only Skykit saw it. In a flash it was gone, and the two best friends were padding off to tell Emberstorm they were going hunting. Sunkit, Skykit, and Shadowkit quickly pranced over to where their fathers were resting. Mistflood and Streamfeather were washing the blood off of each other. Streamfeather had a bleeding paw, and Mistflood had some fur torn out, but Sunkit confirmed that they were fine. "Snowshade and Hazelnight went hunting, and they wanted you to come to the nursery!" Shadowkit blurted out. The brothers looked at each other, and Streamfeather asked Mistflood jokingly why the mothers of the kits left the incompetent fathers to take care of their pride and joy. "I don't know, but maybe they want to talk without six prying ears hearing everything they want to say," Streamfeather purred, and they got up and started walking towards the nursery. Streamfeather had a faint limp, and Sunkit was worried about him. "Are you ok, Streamfeather?" she asked. Streamfeather nodded. "I'm fine, Sunkit. Though I can't say as much for the other warrior," Mistflood purred in amusement. Sunkit shook her head in shock. She was a born into the Clan, and she was supposed to be a warrior. Then why is she so disgusted by everything that a warrior needs to do?

"Sunkit, can I talk to you?" Marshwillow asked her later that day when the three kits were playing near the nursery and Sunkit was being pinned down by both of the others. "Sure, Marshwillow! Skykit, get off of me!" she said playfully. Skykit loosened her grip, and Sunkit bolted out of the way. "Yes, Marshwillow?" Sunkit asked. Marshwillow looked at the tiny kit. "I heard you assessed your mother and father's wounds after the battle. And Hazelnight and Streamfeather too," Marshwillow stated. Sunkit didn't even bat an eyelash as she replied, "Yes, I wanted to make sure they were ok. I know how warriors die in battle," Marshwillow looked at her with his failing eyesight. "What do you think of these battles?" Sunkit cocked her head, confused, but she answered anyways. "I hate it, to be honest. I hate how the warriors joke about other cat's wounds. We're all cats, though they come from a different clan. Even though they attacked us. I don't think I'll be a good warrior if I keep thinking like this," she said, sighing and falling to her paws. Marshwillow nodded. "You're right, warriors don't try to stop other warriors peacefully. Peace is not a way of the warrior," Sunkit put her head in her paws, sighing sadly. But Marshwillow wasn't finished talking. "But perhaps Starclan has a different destiny for you. Because peace is the way of medicine cats," Sunkit perked her ears, then her head. "You mean, I should be a medicine cat?" Marshwillow nodded. "It's your choice of course, but I see many good medicine cat qualities in you," Sunkit looked at Marshwillow, then out into the clearing where Skykit and Shadowkit were playing. She thought about her choices. She could either train with her friends, but never be able to fight well because her mind says its wrong, or train alone with Marshwillow and keep peace while helping the clan. Making up her mind, she turned to Marshwillow and said, "Marshwillow, when our apprentice ceremony comes, I want to become your apprentice," Marshwillow nodded her head, and turned to go into the back of her den. Sunkit took this as a sign to leave, so she turned and walked back to Skykit and Shadowkit. "What did Marshwillow want, Sunkit?" Shadowkit asked her while pinning his flailing sister down on the dry ground. Sunkit held her head high, and delivered the news. Shadowkit and Skykit looked shocked, but Shadowkit especially. "Wow, Marshwillow asked you that when you were a kit still?" he asked. Sunkit shrugged. "Our apprentice ceremonies are coming soon, so she needed to ask beforehand," Skykit looked crushed. "So, we won't train together at all?" Sunkit shook her head. "Probably not, but I don't might teach me a move or two to defend myself if absolutely necessary," Shadowkit cocked his head. "What do you mean, absolutely necessary?" Sunkit started off for the nursery. "I'm not that good at fighting, and I don't like it," Shadowkit got off of Skykit and ran for Sunkit. "You don't like fighting?" Sunkit shook her head and pushed her way past Shadowkit into the nursery. He sat down, confused and lost. Skykit came and nuzzled him comfortingly. "Don't worry, Shadowkit. There will be another," she whispered to her brother. He hung his head, and turned sharply to go inside the nursery. Hurting for her brother, she went inside too.

"Shadowkit, Sunkit, and Skykit, please come up to the Grand Tree," Lichenstar called to the three kits. They padded dutifully up to the base of the tall tree at the edge of the camp. The tree worked well in ceremonies. When kits became apprentices, the leader performed the ceremony on the large roots of the tree. When an apprentice became a warrior, it was performed on a sturdy branch five feet above the ground. When a warrior is chosen to be deputy, there is a smaller branch 15 feet above the ground where the leader says the lines. The leader's den is a hole in the tree, about 3 feet above the roots. Skykit, Shadowkit, and Sunkit each sat side by side on the same roots. "Sunkit, Skykit, and Shadowkit, from this day forward, until they have earned their warrior names, these apprentices will be called Skypaw, Shadowpaw and Sunpaw. Fawnpelt, you will be mentor to Shadowpaw. You are honorable and strong-spirited. May you pass down all you know to this apprentice." Shadowpaw looked ready to scream with joy. Fawnpelt was the best warrior in the clan, aside from Emberstorm. Fawnpelt was born a kittypet, but she gave her clanmates little time to remember it. Lichenstar turned to Skypaw. "Skypaw, your mentor will be Thistlefall. Thistlefall, you have proven yourself to be independent and enthusiastic, and may you pass all you know to this apprentice," Thistlefall and Fawnpelt came and touched noses with their new apprentices, and Lichen star turned to Sunpaw. She beckoned to Marshwillow with her tail. Marshwillow started her own apprentice ceremony. She addressed the clan and started talking. "Warriors of Duskclan, as you know, I won't be around forever. It is time for me to take on an apprentice. Sunpaw will travel to the Moonpool in two days and become a true medicine cat apprentice," Marshwillow and Sunpaw touched noses and the clan starts cheering the new apprentice's touched noses with her new mentor. She would be committed, and become the best medicine cat in the whole clan.

Shadowpaw laid in the apprentice den, lost in his loss of his one love. Skypaw pressed up against him, giving him comfort. "Come on, Shadowpaw. It's time for bed," She put her paw on her brother's paw, and he consented to close his eyes and push against his sister, feeling her soft fur comfort him into troubled sleep.

Sunpaw loved being a medicine cat apprentice from day one. Even before they traveled to the Moonpool to make her a real apprentice, her first day was filled with learning. She was a curious apprentice, but she knew enough to not to touch everything. She would point with a paw and ask Marshwillow, "What is that? What does that do?" Marshwillow would take a sniff at what Sunpaw was pointing at, and she would say, "That's borage. It helps queens have enough milk for kits," or, "that's tansy. The flowers help cure whitecough, and the leaves will help the elder's aching joints. Don't ever give pregnant queens tansy, though, because it will cause their kits to be stillborn," Sunpaw nodded. Marshwillow gestured with her paw to a pile of delicious looking red berries in the corner, uncovered by a shriveling leaf. "Those are deathberries. Never give those to any cat, because you'll be dead before they reach your stomach,"Sunpaw looked at them, and back at Marshwillow, shocked. "Marshwillow, if they can kill a cat that fast, why do you have them in your den where some cat could walk in and eat them!" Marshwillow smiled and shook her head. "See what it's wrapped in, Sunpaw. This is a strongly smelling leaf from a plant, and it's been covered and soaked in bitter smelling herb juices that I squeezed out of dying leaves and roots. No cat could see or smell them through that, and if they did, they wouldn't want to eat them. They smell rotten and horrible. Come, see for yourself," Sunpaw approached cautiously, and sniffed the leaf. Marshwillow was right, they smelled terrible. But to be safe, she tucked the loose edge of the leaf in tightly before turning again to Marshwillow.

"Here they are, Sunpaw. These are the traveling herbs we need to take to get to the Moonpool," Sunpaw looked skeptically at the bitter smelling herbs before her. "Come on, Sunpaw. This is the only way for us to travel to the Moonpool in the proper way. We can't eat along the way, and these will give us strength," Sunpaw quickly chewed up the horrible herbs and drank a bit of water after them. "We need to start out at sunhigh, so go ahead and say goodbye to your friends," Sunpaw nodded and raced out of the den. Skypaw stood up as she saw her denmate approaching. "Hi, Sunpaw!" she said enthusiastically. "Hello, Skypaw. Where's Shadowpaw? I wanted to say goodbye to him before I left for the Moonpool," Skypaw looked at her and said, "Listen, Shadowpaw was going out for some early morning hunting with Fawnpelt, and they haven't gotten back yet. I hope that he somehow caught a piece of prey," As Skypaw said this, Fawnpelt and a tired looking Shadowpaw walked into camp. Fawnpelt was carrying two mice and a squirrel and Shadowpaw was carrying a small sparrow. He looked dejected as he walked back to the apprentice den, yet Shadowpaw seemed to perk up when he saw Sunpaw, but then he lost the look. Sunpaw wasn't sure if she imagined it. Skypaw went and brushed up against her brother, purring in amusement. "So, did that sparrow land right before you, just waiting to be caught? Because I don't think you could catch something unless it did," This could've been an insult, but when Skypaw said it, even Shadowpaw grinned. Sunpaw purred loudly, and Shadowpaw listened to every second of the beautiful purr. "Shadowpaw, I wanted to say goodbye to both of you, because I'm going to the Moonpool to become a real medicine cat apprentice," Shadowpaw nodded at her and said, "well, congrats. How long are you going to be gone? And when are you leaving?" Sunpaw started to talk but she heard Marshwillow call her name. "Right now. See you guys tomorrow. It will take all day to go there and back, and we need to be there at night. Bye!" Sunpaw scampered over to Marshwillow's side, and they started out of the camp towards Nightclan territory. The Moonpool was on the edge of the territory between Sunclan and Nightclan. It had been discovered by the very first medicine cat in Dawnclan, Cloudfrost. Cloudfrost had been blind and was hardly able to smell when he found the Moonpool. This is why he was able to cross the borders without being caught and sent back. As long as he didn't take anything and didn't hunt anything, he was allowed anywhere. He was very weak and hungry when he stumbled into the hidden oasis that was now known as the Moonpool. This place had never seen a cat, so it was easy hunting, even for some cat who was blind. He filled his belly and walked over to the small pool of clear water. It smelled good, so he drank some. A minute later, he was snoring at the edge, having a dream with Starclan. When he woke up, he ate more and bolted back to tell the clans about this place. Right now, Sunpaw and Marshwillow were walking down a path that Cloudfrost had been on long ago. They were silent as they met up with Moonberry and Darkpaw and started walking down the center of the path. Sunpaw and Darkpaw were giving each other hateful glances, but Moonberry and Marshwillow hardly noticed. Marshwillow quietly pulled Sunpaw to her other side so Marshwillow could be next to Moonberry, and Moonberry did the same with Darkpaw.

At the Moonpool, Sunpaw sat across from Marshwillow as she got ready for her apprentice ceremony. Darkpaw was staring at her still, but now that she was here, she could deal with it. Marshwillow started the ceremony.

""Sunpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of a medicine cat?" Sunpaw swallowed and held her head high as she said, "It is." Marshwillow nodded, and she said, "Then come forward. Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight, so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will. Now, crouch down and drink from the pool." Sunpaw's heart burst with joy as she sat in a comfortable position and took a drink from the pool. A minute later, she was joining the blissful state of a dream.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 3

Dawnclan

"Duck under his blows and swerve around, Lightpaw!" Heatherfall called to her battling apprentice. Lightpaw tried to do as she asked, but Blazepaw was batting her away from the opportunity. "Try what we practiced, Blazepaw!" Honeydrop called to her winning apprentice. Blazepaw suddenly but slowly let Lightpaw get more blows in, waning the strength of the blows. Lightpaw foolishly fell into it, and sprang onto Blazepaw. He slammed to the ground and stayed there. Lightpaw stood tall on him, triumphant. Then he bunched his muscles and flung her off and pinned her down onto the sandy ground of the training hollow. Lightpaw consented and took the defeat, and Blazepaw leapt off of her and ran to his mentor. "Did you see that, Honeydrop? Did you see that?" Honeydrop licked his ears. "Yes, I saw you. I was watching. Wonderful job, Blazepaw," she said in a calm way, that had a soothing affect on her apprentice. He stopped bounding and turned to his sister and asked, "Are you ok?" Lightpaw nodded. "Yeah, nothing a lick from my mentor can't fix," she said, teasing Blazepaw. Blazepaw bared his teeth playfully and leaped towards Lightpaw, landing right in front of her. His heavy breath blew her fur back. "Don't insult me, Lightpaw," he said, all serious. "I am the mighty Birdstar, and I have thousands of warriors under my command! I could obliterate you in an instant!" he said, and sprang on her. Lightpaw, not expecting it, screamed, and laughed at her brother's attempt at looking as graceful as a bird, looking instead like a flaming rock. Lightpaw laughed in spite of herself. "Blazepaw, don't even try!" she said giggling. Blazepaw let out a small laugh, and bounded out of the clearing. Lightpaw quickly followed, still laughing at her brother. Honeydrop stayed behind, talking with Heatherfall. "The apprentices are doing wonderfully," Heatherfall purred. "Especially Blazepaw. he'll be a real fighter when he becomes a warrior," she said, praising the apprentice. Honeydrop nodded, grateful that her sister wasn't mad that Blazepaw had beaten Lightpaw. "But Lightpaw is much , well, lighter than Blazepaw. She would do well against anyone but Blazepaw," Heatherfall lowered her eyes a tiny bit."Well, it's not like she's going to walk out onto the battlefield, someone will spring on her, and she'll say, "I can't fight you, you're too big", right?" Heatherfall asked. She lowered her voice and said, "I'm worried that I'm not doing a good job. Lightpaw can't remember what to do if I don't yell it out to her, and I'm sure Blazepaw would've tried that move even without you telling him. This is my first apprentice. I'm very worried that I can't teach her well enough to become a warrior with Blazepaw and Ashpaw," Honeydrop pressed against her sister, comforting her, telling her that she was doing a good job. But in the back of Honeydrop's mind, she kept thinking about it. Heatherfall was always a patient cat, but Lightpaw didn't respond well to calm orders. She had to be yelled at and disciplined, and Heatherfall just wasn't capable of that. "Well, Lightpaw is a rather loud cat, and she needs orders yelled at her. Maybe you should ask Daystar to give Lightpaw a louder mentor!" Honeydrop joked. But the joke went right over Heatherfall's head, and she went to the warrior den with her head down. Lightpaw sat hidden in the bushes, having heard the whole exchange, and she thought about what they said. Eventually, as the sun set, she concluded that Honeydrop had it spot on, and she really couldn't learn from Heatherfall.

Lightpaw padded back into the camp with a small piece of prey to make up for her absence the entire day. She dropped the small mouse and slowly walked back to the apprentice den, thoughts swirling in her mind. Ashpaw and Blazepaw were talking excitedly when she walked in. "Lightpaw, come here!" Blazepaw called. Her quieter brother Ashpaw just nodded. Lightpaw padded over and asked, "What's going on, Blazepaw?" Blazepaw looked about ready to explode with the news. "I heard that we're going to take our warrior assessments tomorrow! I'm so ready to pass and become a real warrior! We were just talking about what we think our names will be. I hope mine's Blazeheart, it's such a cool name!" Ashpaw nodded. "Yes, and I was hoping mine was along the lines of Ashfern or Ashtree. But of course it's the leader's call," Ashpaw admitted in his quiet poetic voice. Lightpaw collapsed on the apprentice den floor and thought about what she would want her name to be. "I think... I think I would want my name to be Lightdapple," The effect was unexpected. Blazepaw lifted his head and looked quizzically at Lightpaw, while Ashpaw looked on with his eyes teary. "Why would you want the name of our mother?" Blazepaw asked. Lightpaw looked at him, growing in anger. "Why wouldn't I want to be named after my dead mother? She died to keep our clan alive in the worst battle ever. Why was it the worst battle ever? Because she had to fight in the burnt forest. But never mind that fact, that she died to keep our clan safe. I suppose I just shouldn't want a name of a dead cat, right?" Lightpaw flared up. Blazepaw flinched, lowering his head and raising his paws as if to ward off her words. But Lightpaw was done, because Ashpaw had come up behind her and rubbed against her. "It's not that, Lightpaw. I think Lightdapple is a beautiful name for you. Blazepaw didn't mean he thought our mother's name was horrible, it was just something that slipped out of his mouth. Lightdapple's a pretty name, don't you agree, Blazepaw?" Ashpaw purred. Blazepaw lowered his paws and spoke in a weak voice. "Of course. I'm sorry for saying that, but I was just surprised, because we never talk about them. That's all," Blazepaw didn't wait for a response, he just curled up in his soft moss bed and closed his eyes. Ashpaw flicked her kindly with the end of his tail and laid down on his bed. Lightpaw took one step and flopped down into a random pile of moss. Her thoughts were still swirling with anger, but the majority of it was vented out. She let out a final sigh and slipped into sleep.

"Lightpaw?" Ashpaw asked. Lightpaw opened her eyes to see a golden sun rising above the mountains far away. The sight stirred something in Lightpaw's heart. This was what the morning their mother died looked like. A cloudless dawn with warm streaks of sunlight warming Lightpaw's tan fur. She sighed, and Ashpaw pressed against her once again, but this time he wasn't calming her, he was comforting her. "I didn't think you would want to miss it," Lightpaw licked his cheek. "You're right, I didn't. Thanks for waking me," They both sit in silence for a time while the sun slowly rises and warms the camp. Then Lightpaw breaks the silence. "I miss them so badly sometimes," she says, clearly in pain. Ashpaw lowers his head, then raises it slightly so it rests on his paws and speaks. "I miss them everyday. Never does one day go by without me remembering what happened to her, and our father who died simply for loving her too much. Golddapple wouldn't have wanted him to kill himself just to speed up the process," he sighed, and sits in thoughtful and sorrowful silence for a while. Lightpaw was too shocked to speak. Ashpaw had always seemed to calm and collected, able to quench the fights that start between Blazepaw and Lightpaw. Lightpaw had always thought that he had accepted what had happened and moved on. Never once did she think that he was mourning them more than her. Now Lightpaw was the one pressing up against Ashpaw, trying to comfort him out of the world he saw. Ashpaw lifts his head. "But I guess the past is the past. I can't change anything by thinking about it," Ashpaw rose and walked back to his nest. Lightpaw stood too, thinking about what to do. Ashpaw seemed in such a horrible condition now that she could see it. She thought about the surely upcoming warrior assessment. What if Ashpaw was unable to test to his full abilities? What if they want to test us today? Well, if they did, there was no way that she would let him test in this state. She would watch his mood through the day, and if they did want to test them, she would try to make sure his mind was off of the topic of her mother and father. Lightpaw laid back down in her nest, her on her paws, watching the sun come through the leaves of the trees, casting light spots all around the clearing. She had started to nod off as Blazepaw's mentor Honeydrop came up to her. "Lightpaw?" Lightpaw blinked and looked up at her. "Is Blazepaw up yet? I need to go over a few hunting techniques before he has his warrior assessment tomorrow," Lightpaw let out a small sigh of relief, that she would have time to talk to Ashpaw. "I'll go check if he's awake, Honeydrop," she replied to the warrior. She padded back through her bed, past a dozing Ashpaw to find a snoring Blazepaw. She nudged Blazepaw, whispering. "Blazepaw, wake up. Blazepaw, Honeydrop is waiting! Blazepaw!" She said loudly near his ears. Blazepaw jumped, nearly knocking Lightpaw in the jaw. He started hurriedly washing himself, making rasping noises fill the apprentice den. Ashpaw stirred close to the entrance. Without opening his eyes, he asked, "Blazepaw almost sleep in again?" Lightpaw turned, and purred. "Yes, I think that if he was the last cat in the clan, the only reason he would wake up was if he was starving," Blazepaw stopped washing himself for a second and gave Lightpaw a dirty look. "Well, that seems to say a lot about what I would do for my clan if it was in a time of danger," he said, glaring at Lightpaw. Lightpaw purred and rubbed against her brother, then walked back towards the entrance. She glanced around the camp, taking in the surroundings. Honeydrop was sharing tongues with her mate Reedbreeze over by the warrior den. Daystar was talking to Heatherfall over by the leader's den. Lightpaw focused on Heatherfall and Daystar. Why was her mentor talking to the leader and looking so worried? Was it about her? Daystar seemed to be reassuring Heatherfall about something, and Heatherfall was slowly relaxing. Then she looked over to the apprentice den, and saw Lightpaw staring at her with a curious expression. She smiled and started walking towards her. Lightpaw, knowing she was caught, got up and started walking towards her leader, head down. "Lightpaw, are you curious?" Lightpaw nodded slowly. "Yes, I am. What... What were you talking about?" Heatherfall came up behind Daystar and brushed past her. "I was telling Daystar about your training, and how I don't think I'm doing a good job with you," Daystar nodded. "Yes, and I told her that she was doing all she could, and that your training was coming along very well. And that you will make an amazing warrior," Lightpaw blushed and looked down at her paws, smiling. Then Daystar continued. "However, it was brought up that your battle skills may not be the best, and that there is room for improvement," Lightpaw looked up, looking at her with a curious and confused expression. "I have also noticed that Ashpaw doesn't seem to be learning battle skills well from Cloudedfoot. So, from now on, until your warrior assessment, Cloudedfoot will be your mentor for battle skills, and Heatherfall will be mentoring you with hunting skills and anything else warriors need to do," Lightpaw jumped up on her paws. Cloudedfoot was a tough warrior, and he had helped win the battle that killed her mother. No doubt she would learn well from him. He tended to yell when an apprentice didn't get something just right, and Lightpaw knew that was the way she would learn. Ashpaw would learn well from the quiet Heatherfall urging him on from the side. "Daystar, I think that is a good arrangement. Thank you for listening to me," Heatherfall said as she retreated to the warrior den where Reedbreeze was departing for a hunting patrol. Lightpaw smiled and walked back into the apprentice den to talk to Ashpaw about the new arrangement.


End file.
